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U.S. Reviewing Hamas Role in PA Government
(New York Times) Mark Landler - This week, PA President Mahmoud Abbas called for elections in the West Bank and Gaza within six months. With Hamas expected to field candidates, the White House will have to decide whether to oppose its participation, and then, whether to deal with a government in which Hamas could play a bigger role. Israel has made clear that it will fight the inclusion of any Hamas candidates in the race and will not negotiate with any Palestinian government that includes the group. "We made a mistake in allowing Hamas participation in 2006, and I hope we will not make that mistake twice," said Elliott Abrams, who served as deputy national security adviser in 2006 when the George W. Bush administration went along with Hamas participation in Palestinian legislative elections. Israeli officials insist that senior American officials assured them that the U.S. would take a wait-and-see attitude with the new Palestinian government. "Instead of taking a standoff approach, they, in effect, became the first government in the world to recognize the Palestinian government," said an Israeli official. "They essentially became the first domino." "We're not naive," a senior U.S. official said. "We understand that this could be Hamas' nose under the tent, that it could lead Hamas to get a foothold in the West Bank, that terrorist cells could spring up in the West Bank again under a looser regime. So we're watching all of that very carefully to ensure that that doesn't happen."